Direct and indirect communication strategies to deliver market information

Last registered on April 02, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Direct and indirect communication strategies to deliver market information
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010175
Initial registration date
March 29, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
April 02, 2024, 11:18 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Brais Álvarez Pereira
Affiliation
NOVAFRICA and Bissau Economics Lab
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Mattia Fracchia
PI Affiliation
Nova SBE, NOVAFRICA, BELAB
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PI Name
Matilde Grácio
PI Affiliation
Nova SBE, NOVAFRICA, BELAB
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PI Name
Giulio Schinaia
PI Affiliation
University of Chicago, Development Innovation Lab, BELAB
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PI Name
Aliu Bá Jau
PI Affiliation
BELAB
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PI Name
Nério Simão Cá
PI Affiliation
BELAB
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PI Name
Aida Embaló
PI Affiliation
Ministry of Economy and Finance of Guinea-Bissau
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PI Name
Deoclécio Marinho
PI Affiliation
BELAB, World Bank
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PI Name
Adewusi Mendonça
PI Affiliation
Ministry of Economy and Finance of Guinea-Bissau, BELAB
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PI Name
Dayvikson Raiss Laval Tavares
PI Affiliation
Universidade Lusófona Guiné-Bissau, BELAB
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-10-02
End date
2025-12-31
Keywords
Agriculture, Behavior, Firms & Productivity
Additional Keywords
digital agriculture, market information system, market access, Guinea-Bissau
JEL code(s)
O13, D80, C93
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Access to timely market information can improve bargaining power in transactions. However, subscription services, requiring users to pay for accessing market information, reach only a small fraction of the potential market. Employing a randomised clustered control trial across 187 villages in Guinea-Bissau, we evaluate various models for disseminating market information. In about two-thirds of the villages, a focal point appointed by the village receives weekly market updates via phone-calls from a team of market analysts based in the capital. These focal points are encouraged to share this information with other producers in their respective villages. Additionally, we randomly allocate half of the focal points with a list of buyers' contacts to examine whether search barriers impede transactions in this market. In the remaining third of the villages, producers are offered direct access to weekly market updates via robocalls and an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system through a subscription service. Our study contributes to understanding the role of human intermediaries in facilitating market information access and provides insights for designing effective interventions to enhance market access for small-scale producers.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bá Jau, Aliu et al. 2024. "Direct and indirect communication strategies to deliver market information." AEA RCT Registry. April 02. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10175-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We evaluate various models for disseminating market information. In about two-thirds of the villages (treated villages), a focal point appointed by the village receives weekly market updates via phone-calls from a team of market analysts based in the capital. These focal points are encouraged to share this information with other producers in their respective villages. Additionally, we randomly allocate half of the focal points with a list of buyers' contacts to examine whether search barriers impede transactions in this market. In the remaining third of the villages (control villages), producers are offered direct access to weekly market updates via robocalls and an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system through a subscription service.
Intervention Start Date
2023-02-01
Intervention End Date
2023-08-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Price per sale per kg
2. Total quantity sold in kg
3. Total value of cashews from sales
4. Number of sales
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
1. Behavioural game outcomes (trust, information, public goods)
2. Marketing decisions
3. Timing of transactions
4. Supply-side responses
5. Bargaining power
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We evaluate various models for disseminating market information. In about two-thirds of the villages, a focal point appointed by the village receives weekly market updates via phone-calls from a team of market analysts based in the capital. These focal points are encouraged to share this information with other producers in their respective villages. Additionally, we randomly allocate half of the focal points with
a list of buyers’ contacts to examine whether search barriers impede transactions in this market. In the remaining third of the villages, producers are offered direct access to weekly market updates via robocalls and an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system through a
subscription service. Market information will be delivered in 2023. The team responsible for the study implementation will comprise researchers affiliated with BELAB and other public agencies.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
We will randomly sample villages from the 2009 census. We will create strata for those dimensions likely to influence treatment effects, using a combination of demographic characteristics from the census and other geo-coded databases. We will then randomly allocate villages to the treatment or control group. Participants in the study will then be randomly chosen within each village.
Randomization Unit
We will randomize at the village level.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
187 villages
Sample size: planned number of observations
1,260 cashew nuts producers
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
63 villages control with producers offered the subscription services, 124 villages treatment with focal points appointed to receive information through market analysts
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Partnership for Economic Policy
IRB Approval Date
2022-08-26
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan

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